Restaurant: Czehoski

At some point in time, they Czehoski must have changed hands because last I heard, this place was pricey and not entirely worth it. But with the most expensive entree priced at $23. How is that overpriced?

Ambiance: 3.5 / 5
Cleanliness: 3.5 / 5
Service: 4 / 5
Taste: 3 / 5
Presentation: 3.5 / 5
Price: $$
Overall: 4 / 5

A 3 floor restaurant / bar with a nice bohemian feel and a stage for live music. It's got a well stocked bar, and guess what... That third floor? Rooftop patio! Definitely a place I'm going to have to try and hit this summer.

The first thing we ordered were the onion rings. I only had my mobile with me and I'm certainly no photographer. But these rings are the best I can remember. Nice, big, juicy, plump rings of onions covered with light, fluffy, batter with the smallest kick. Very yum.

Then the entrees came. My friend ordered Pork Belly over Lentils/Tomatoes. It's not the lightest of fares, but it's pork belly. Which means the meat is nice and juicy and tender (partly because it's moist with belly fat. Haha). The lentils do have a bit of a kick, but you can ask for mild if you're not a fan.

I actually ordered their Mac & Cheese. Topped with slices of Chorizo, I found it a touch milky for my taste, but at $14.95, it's certainly no Kraft Dinner. Aside from the Onion rings, I wasn't particularly blown away by the food. But the ambiance is nice, with that old world feel, and retains a little bit of its original Butcher shop / Kalbasa store feel. The service is friendly, and the food is decent.

Czehoski
678 Queen St. W
Toronto, ON
M6J 1E5
416-366-6787

~Cheers.

Blogger's Note: Found a nice little story in blogto about this place from the daughter of the original owners (please read after the jump).

I am the daughter of the orginal owners of the Czehoski Butcher store. Just a little history for any one that is interested. The store was owned and operated by my grandfather and grandmother they had 6 children. The oldest was my father Stanley. The family grew up in the store there were bedrooms upstairs and a basement to the store. My Grandparents passed away when I was very young. My parents divorced and my father went to live back at the store with his brother and sister who never married. My father worked his whole life at the store and the family were very famous for the Polish sausage they made called Kalbasa. They would make the sausage twice a week and people would line up around the block. At the time there were no Loblaws or big Grocery stores. If you were Polish you knew the name Czehoski. The store opertaed for over 60 years up until my father passed in 1984. It closed shortly after but his sister and brother continued living there. The building it shelf is well over 80 years old. I was able to visit the resturant before it opened, it brought back alot of memories the smell I know as little girl visiting or working at the store was still there to me. The walk in freezer, the butcher block, and the display case that used to show case the meat. Shortly after the resturant opened a girlfriend and I went for dinner. I have course made reservations under the name Czehoski and the waitress seemed quite impress that a was a Czehoski. I was not too impressed by the food, found it quite pricy. Over dinner I mentioned to my girlfriend that my father would find it silly how the food was layer on top of each other it would not be his style of choice. My father was a very simple man with simple tastes. He would be thrilled that a business continued to operate uder the Czehoski name and how they were able to preseve many of the pieces that he was so familuar with. It is great to drive by and see the Czehoski sign knowing it is the orginal sign and in no way has been changed that sign has had alot of famous people walk under it. With that sign my father still lives on.
(Stephanie Czehoski)